The HP Stream 14" is a budget-friendly option that is suitable for basic tasks such as web browsing, document editing, and media consumption, and it's highly portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size. However, its lower-resolution display and less powerful processor and graphics mean it's not ideal for more intensive tasks. Conversely, the MSI Stealth GS66, while more expensive, offers a far more powerful processor and high-end graphics card, making it better suited for heavy workloads like 3D design, machine learning, and gaming. It also has a higher-quality display and a more robust build, but it's less portable due to its increased weight. If your needs are for less demanding applications and portability is a priority, the HP Stream may suffice, but if you're looking for performance and can manage a heavier device, the MSI is the better choice. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HP Stream 14"
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS66
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
7.7/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
7.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 is good for general use, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
The HP Stream 14" is equipped with a lower-end CPU and basic graphics, lesser storage, and a lower quality screen, making it fair for general use, whereas the MSI Stealth GS66 includes a high-end CPU, a powerful dedicated graphics card, a high-quality screen, and superior storage, providing better performance for general use. The MSI also has a better keyboard, build quality, and manages heat and noise more efficiently, contributing to its good standing for general use, while the HP favors portability and has a longer battery life.
Gaming and AI
5.7/10
7.8/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 is good for gaming and AI, while the HP Stream 14" is poor.
The HP Stream 14" has an Intel UHD Graphics 600 which is not suited for high-performance gaming and 3D tasks, and a screen that refreshes at a standard 60 times per second, while the MSI Stealth GS66 is equipped with a far superior Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti which excels in rendering complex graphics and has a high-refresh screen capable of 360 refreshes per second, providing a smoother visual experience suitable for fast-paced gaming and detailed 3D work.
Engineering and Design
5.7/10
8.2/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS66 is very good for engineering and design, while the HP Stream 14" is poor.
The HP Stream 14" is equipped with a basic Intel Celeron CPU and Intel UHD Graphics which are underpowered for demanding engineering and design applications, and with a low-resolution TN screen, it offers poor visual quality compared to the MSI Stealth GS66 that boasts a high-performance Intel i7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU for complex tasks and an IPS display for better color accuracy and wider viewing angles.
Content Creation
6.7/10
7.7/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth GS66 is good for content creation, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
6.5/10
7.5/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 is good for software development, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
5.2/10
8.1/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The MSI Stealth GS66 has a better screen than the HP Stream 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The HP Stream 14" has a lower resolution and dimmer display affecting clarity and visibility, making it less suitable across all uses, from everyday tasks to precision work in engineering and visual design where sharpness and color accuracy are crucial. The MSI Stealth GS66, with its higher resolution and superior color reproduction, caters well to general use and professional design applications where true-to-life color representation is key, despite not being optimal for gaming and 3D work due to a refresh rate that might not keep pace with fast-moving visuals. The MSI's screen is more versatile, though, serving a broader range of tasks effectively, from document editing to multimedia creation.
Battery
7.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The HP Stream 14" has 7.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP Stream 14" has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth GS66 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.5/10
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 has very good build quality, while the HP Stream 14" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$299
$1,718
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The HP Stream 14" has a price of $299 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,718.
"With half of the main system memory and a fraction of the storage that we recommend in any budget Windows laptop, the HP Stream 14 does not impress. Perhaps it doesn't need to, depending on your reference point. For the price, you're getting a functional laptop with Windows 10, which already places the HP Stream 14 above most Chromebooks on that merit alone. Still, in this price range, you can't do much worse, but you can do better. In fact, for just $100 more, you can grab the much superior budget option, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14."
"The MSI Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the HP Stream 14" or the MSI Stealth GS66
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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